Air condenser



C. HARDY AIR CONDENSER May 3l, 1932.

Filed Jan. 5.1, 1927 F 40 52 5l l 4o S 5o 2 O as la 3 4? 33 30 C' 3730 C 4 so C340 34 4e, 47

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ENT oFFicE- N. Y., KASSIG'N'OIBI, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, I '10 DEJ' UR-AMSCO CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK AIR ooNnENsER This invention relates to electrical condensers, and more particularly to variable air condensers; and has special reference to the provision of an improved variable air condenser of the multi-unit type designed for use in tuned radio receiving lcircuits for ing the same in unison producing a` uni-control or simultaneous adjustment of successive or cascaded circuits.

For simultaneouslyadjusting the constants of cascaded radio frequency circuits for tunand to the frequency of he received wave, it'is the practice in y the arty to mechanically couplethe tuning control devices, such for example (as the t-uning condensers or induetances yin the circuits Iso that these may be adjusted by the manipulation of a single control element. Where condensers are employed as the tuning de- `densers must be carefully matched or bal#V vices, the desired results are generally accomplished either by mechanically coupling the rotor yshafts of separate condensers or by buildingthe condenser units in a single assembly with the rotors of the units mounted on a single shaft. In either form of construction it is an important desideratum to balance and equalize the tuning devices with great precision and accuracy throughout the Application led' January 31, 1927. Serial No. 164,695.

the desired balance or equalizationwill be disturbed when the condensers are arranged in circuit in the building of afreceiving set v and the balance of the condenser u'nits themselves will not be maintained in service due generally to some` structural instability of tlie condenser assembly; The disturbanceof j, equalization when the condensers are con nected in circuit is due to inequalities of the L circuit wirings and to reactions between parts whole tuning range, so that the oscillation constants ofthe cascaded circuits may be adjusted to the same value with optimum pre- `cision throughout the whole wave length range through which the system is tunable.

To equalize the timing operations, the conanced so that the calibration curves ofthe same, especially when the c ondensers are in connected circuit arrangement, are substan-l been experienced in the art in producing an exact match or equalization of the vcondenser units to` meet service requirements, particu- `tially identical. Considerable difficulty has larly in high precision sets, in spite of thev fact that the condensers are capable of being standardized and built with suficientprecisionA by present manufacturing methods.

It has been found,l for example, that even.

though the condenser units which are coupled together for simultaneous adj ust-ment or unicontrol, are adjusted and assembled by the manufacturer so that a balance is obtained,

of the apparatus of the receiving set and the instability found in service is due to inherent meclianicalcforces and stresses active on the condenser parts to alter or distort the same and vary the capacities of the respective condenser units, especially when such condenser units are built or stacked up in a single assembly.

vention comprehends the provision of improvements inthe manufacture' of multiple variable condensers whereby, the condenser units of the multiple Vassembly may, be

Tlieprime desideratum of my present inmatched or equalized prior to as well as after being arranged in circuit in a cascaded tuned receiver, with the -forces and stresses of the condenser assembly mechanically balanced and counteracted so that any structural instability of the built-up assembly which may give rise to distortionin use or service is eectively inhibited, with the result that the `condenser' units when once matched or balancbed by the manufacturer of receiving sets, will be maintained in balanced relation in normal use even for an extended period of time. j j

To the accomplishment of theI foregoing and, such other objects as will hereinafter appear,`my invention consists in the elements and their relation one to the other, as hereinafter more particularly described and sought to be defined in the claims; reference being had to the accompanying drawings which show the preferred embodiments of my invention, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the multiple coni 50 f front and rear walls and11 of the casing y with parts broken away, andv consideration of Figs; 2 and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view thereof taken in the plane of the line 3 3, Fig. 2.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, I show a multiple variable air condensercomprising a frame structure generally designated as F and a plurality of condenser units generally designated as C1, C2 and C3 mounted in built-up or stacked vrelation onv the frame structure F, each of the condenser units including a stator and a rotor plate set designated respectively by s and r with an exponent corresponding to the condenser unit of whichit forms a part.

The frame structure F comprises a metal enclosure or housing having the front and rear end walls 10 and 11, the side walls 12 and 13, and the bottom wall 14,' all preferably integral and desirably made as a casting so as to provide a rigid support-ing structure for the condenser units. Said frame housing or casing is so designed that its enclosing walls form a static shield for the condenser units, the depth of the frame casing being such as to shieldingly enclose vvthe condenser plate sets in all positions of the rotors of such platel sets, as will be clearly seen from a 3 ofthe drawings. The bottom 'wall of the frame casing F may preferably be provided with the integral threaded lugs 15, 15 forming supporting' legs for the frame, the said lugs being adapted to receive securing elements for anchoring the condenser assembly to a suitable support.- Desirably parts of the casing frame 'arefcut awayto permit ready assembly of the parts and to give access to other parts, the bottom wall 14 being provided with the windows or openings 16. 16 and the front end wall 10 being provided with the open-ended slot 17, while the side walls are provided with such cut-aways as at 18, 18

lach ofthe rotor plate sets 7", r2, r3 comprises a plurality of condenser plates 19, 19

affixed to a sleeve 20, each sleeve being axially adjustable on a shaft 21,and fixed in ad- )usted position by means of set screws 22. 22.

The shaft 21 forms a common shaft for all of the rotor plate sets and is journalled in the frame F by means of conical bearing sleeves 23 and 24 which may be adjustably xed to j usted position.

` element such as a dial.

the shaft 21, which bearing sleeves cooperate with mating bearing elements 25v and 26 respectively, the latter being threadedly adjustable in the journalling parts 10 and 11 of the front and rear frame walls, adjusting nuts 27 and 28I being provided for fixing the threaded bearing elements 25 and 26 in. ad-

lThe shaft 21 is provided Withan extension 21 for receiving a control With this construction it will be seen that the rotor assembly comprising all the rotor plate sets may be adjusted axially in the frame F and fixed in adjusted position, and that the independent rotor plate sets r, r2 and 113 may be independently adjusted axially of the common rotor shaft. e

The stator plate sets sf, s2 and s3 each comprises a plurality of condenser plates 29, 29 arranged to be interleaved with the rotor plates 19, 19 the stator plates of each of the dstator sets being carried at their opposite sides by posts or blocks 30 and 31 which are insulatably mounted from each other and from the frame F.

v For insultably mounting the stator plate sets on the frame, there are provided at each end of the condenser assembly a plurality of insulating members, a pair of insulating members 32 and 33 being provided for the longitudinal series of posts 31 and a second pair of insulating members 33 and 34 being provided for the other longitudinal series of posts 30, 30. For insulatably7 mounting the stator plate sets from each other, I provide Yadditional insulating members interposed between the stator posts, a pair 35 and 36 of such members being provided for the post series 31 and another pair 37 and 38 of such insulating members being provided for the series of posts 30.` The posts and insulating ymembersae interlocked without employing any securing screws or devices by providing stud portions 39 (see'Fig. 1) at the opposite ends of the posts, which portions are received by the centralbores of the insulating 1nembers, cup-shaped elements 40 being also preferably provided forseating the opposite ends of eac-h of the insulating members. W'ith ually supported one on the other by interposed insulating members along at. least two lines of support arranged on opposite sides of the rotor sha-ft'.

,I I have found it highly desirable for the purpose of securing a matching of all the condenser units throughout the whole. tuning range to so support the stators as to permit indepnedent adjustmentof one side ofthe stator assembly with respect to the other side thereof; and in the preferred construction I provide means for so mounting the stator assembly as to permit adjustment of both sides `of the same axially lalong the lines of s upport thereof. To accompiish this purpose I provide a plurality of adjustable supporting elements 41, 42, 43 and 44 in the forni of externally threaded elements adjustable in correspondingly threaded bores provided in the frame casing F, each of said supporting element-s being provided with a terminal stud `portion such as 45 (see Fig. 1) received in the bores of the r insulating members 32, 33, 33 and 34, cup-shaped elements 46 being inter- ,posed to seat the ends of the said insulating` members.` Vith this construction it will be ico seen that each side of the stator assembly may l and both sides may be adjusted relatively to the rotor assembly by micrometrically moving the adjustable elements 41 to 44, and that the stator assembly may be locked in adjusted position by fastening the lock nuts 47, one being provided for V each of the adjustable supporting elements.

The rigid casting frame F forms, as will be readily seen, a firm anchoring support for both the rotor and stator assemblies, and this rigid support combined with the minimizing of the strains and stresses inthe stator and rotor assemblies due in turny to the adjustparts without introducing unnecessary distortions, .results in the prol duction of a condenser construction in which structural chan-ges and resulting instability in service is reduced to a minimum.

For further and more rigidly supporting u the stator assembly, I provide means for transversely supporting fthe stator units in regions intermediate the opposite ends thereof, and preferably such means is designed and constructed to support the stators on the condenser frame to permit the axial or longitudinal adjustment of each'of the .sides of the stator assembly. More specifically, such means comprises the plurality of angle brackets 48 to 51 each having one leg `anchored as by means of a securing screw f 52 to the opposite side Walls of the frame F and each having another leg bored so that the anglebrackets 48 to 51,1eceive the insulating members 35 to 38 respectively and laterally support the same 'while permitting axial motion thereof. This manner of supporting the insulatingl members and the stator assembly not only permits the independent adjustment of opposite sides of 'thestator assembly, but permits differential expancircuit arrangements and other reactions be- 55 A being generally designated as K, K2 and K3.

. struction and will, it

tween parts of the radio receiving set may be compensated for, I prefer to provide compensating condenser units; and in the preferred construction a compensating condenser unit is employed for each of the condenserv sets C', C2 and C3, such compensating units These condenser units are similar in cona description of one of thesaine is thought, suflice for the other two. l p It is pensating condenser unit within a very small range, as between capacities of 5 and`30 micromicrofarads, that the compensating unit should be set in adjustment by simple apparatus and main- 'elements of the compensating unit.

L willbe further apparentthat desired to be able to adjust the com-l and it isV further desired tained in `'adjusted relation. To accomplish theseends, the compensating unit, such for wall 13 of the frame casing F, said vattachment being effected by means of the securing elements 56, and the element 55 being attached to a stator plate set by being secured to a stator post 31 by means of a securing elementk 57.

Adjustment of the compensating condenser unit is provided by means of an adjusting or set screw 58 threadedly receivable by a correspondingly threaded bore 59 in a stator supporting post 31 (see Fig. 3), the said set screw engaging the end of the adjustable condenser element 54, a suit-able insulating washer 60 being interposed between the head of the screw and the condenser element. The

condenser elelnent is made in the form of a resilient strip, the resiliency of which is relied upon to hold the strip in any position to which it may be adjusted. Desirably some insulating medium such as a mica piece 61 is interposed between 'the relatively adjustapgle Y means of this construction it will now be evident that they simple micrometric adjustment of a screw 58 will effect the movement either in one direction or -the other of the compensating condenser element 54 the latter being movable a substantial distance away froml its mating element 55 so asxk to render capable the obtaining of capacity values ofv extremely low magnitude. L

The manner of making the assembly and using the multiple air condenser of my present invention and the manifold advantages thereof will Iin the main be fully apparent from the above detailed `description of the construction and operation of the same. It

while I have shown and described my invention in the preferred form, that many changes and modifications may be made inthe 'structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, defined in the following claims. f

For example, the compensating condensers may be connected to the rotor and stator parts in other ways,land the rotor shaft, in lieu of being metallic, lite so that the rotor plate sets may be insulated one from the other, this producing a construction wherein all of the condenser sets are insulated one from the other.

I claim:

1. A multiple variable condenser comprising a frame, a rotor assembly journalled in may be made of bake-- said frame and having a'plurality of axially spaced -rotor plate sets bly at spaced points along said -frame to interleave with the stator plate sets to form therewith a plurality of condenser units,

means for mounting said stator assembly in said frame along at least two lateral lines of support, said mounting means including insulating members interposed between said stator plate sets and mutually supporting one plate set longitudinally on the other, and means for axially adjusting one side of said stator assembly asa unit relative to the otherI side thereof.

2. A multiple variable condenser comprising a frame, a rotor assembly journalled in said frame having a plurality of axially spaced rotor plate sets all arranged on the same s aft, a stator assembly mounted in said frame having a pluralityof axially disposed stator plate sets arranged so that the rotor plate sets interleave to form therewith a plurality of condenser units, means mounting said stator plate sets insulated one from the other, said mounting means including a plurality of stator supports disposed laterallyv on opposite sides of said rotor'shaft and means for adjusting one o`f said stator' supports relatively to the other to axially adjust one side of (said stator assembly as a unit relatively to the other. y

3. A multiple variable condenser comprising a frame, a rotor assembly journalled in said frame having a plurality of axially all arranged on the same shaft, 'a stator assembly mountedin said frame and having a plurality of axially disposed stator plate sets arranged so that the rotor plate sets interleave to form there- 'with a plurality of condenser units, means ,mounting said stator plate sets insulated one from the other, said mounting means including a plurality of stator supportsdisposed on opposite sides of said rotor shaft, means for adjusting each of said stator supports relatively to the other to axially adjust either or both sidesA of said stator assembly asia unit, and mea ns supporting the stator assempermitting the said axial adjustment of the stator assembly. 4. .A multiple-variable condenser comprising a frame, a rotor assembly journalled in said frame and having a plurality of axially spaced rotor plate sets, a stator assembly having a plurality of axially disposed stator plate sets arranged so that the rotor plate sets interleave to form therewith a plurality `of condenser units, means for mounting` said stator assembly in said frame along atleast ltwo lateral lines of support, said'mounting means including insulating members inter-- posed between said stator plate sets andl mutually supporting one plate set longitudinally on the other, means for axially adjusting one side of said stator assembly as a unit u; relative to the other side thereof, `and means L laterally supporting the stator assembly at spaced points along said frame permitting the axial adjustment of the stator assembly.

5. A multiple variable condenser comprising a frame, a rotor assembly journalled in said frame having a plurality of axially spaced rotor plate Vsets all arranged on the same shaft, means for axially adjusting on said shaft one rotor plate set relatively to another, a stator assembly mounted in said frame having a plurality of axially disposed stator plate sets arranged so that the rotor plate sets interleave to form therewith a plurality of condenser units, means mounting said stator plate sets insulated one from the other, said mounting means including a plurality of stator supports disposed laterally on opposite sides of said rotor shaft and means for adjusting one of said stator supports relatively to the other to axially adjust one side of said stator assembly as a unit relatively to the other.

6. A multiple variable condenser comprising, in combination, a frame, a plurality of alternately positioned conductive blocks and insulators supported with relation to said frame members along the length thereof,.a plurality ofl sets of stator plates carried by said conductor blocks in spaced relationship, a central rotatable shaft, sets of rotor plates carried by said'shaft and arranged to be interleaved between said stator plates for varying the mutual capacity between said sets of plates simultaneously, and means mounted in the end walls of said frame and operative on the opposite ends of said alternatelyrposiplates as aunit axially in said frame. i

7. A multiple variable condenser comprisn' ing a cast metal frame forming an enclosure or housing, a rotor assembly journalled in said frame and' having a plurality of axially disposed rotor plate sets, a stator assembly mounted in said-frame and having a plurality of axially disposed stator plate sets arranged so that the rotor plate sets interleave to form therewith a plurality of condenser units, the said housing frame comprising.` end walls, sidewalls and a bottom wall statically enclosing and shielding the rotor and stator assembly, the depth df lsaid frame casing being at least equal to the diametrical dimensions of said plate sets when arrangediout of interleaving relation. mounting and insulation means interposed between the sets of stator plates and between thel same and the frame housing for insulatingthe stator plate sets one from the other and for mounting the samein the housing and means for axially adjusting the mounting means and the stator assembly as a unit in said frame. y

8. A multiple variable condenser compris- 'ing a metallic frame forming an enclosure or housing. a rotor assembly journalled in said frame and having a plurality of axially disvposed rotor plate sets, a stator assembly mounted in said frame and having a, plurality of axially disposed stator plate sets arranged so that the rotor plate sets interleave to form therewith a plurality of condenser units, the said housing frame being conductive and comprising continuous side walls statically enclosing and shielding the rotor' and stator assembly, the depth of said housing frame being at least equal to the diametrical dimensions of said plate sets when arranged out of interleaving relation, mounting and insulation means interposed between the sets of stator plates and between the' same andthe frame housing for insulating the stator plate sets one from the other and for mounting the same in the housing, and means for axially adjusting the mounting means and the stator assembly as a unit in said frame.

9. A multiple variable condenser comprising a metallic frame forming an enclosure or housing, a rotor assembly journalled in said frame and having a plurality of axially disposed rotor mounted in said frame and having a plurality of axially disposed stator plate sets arranged so that the rotor plate sets interleave to form therewith a plurality of condenser units, the said housing frame being conductive and comprising continuous end walls and side walls statically enclosing and shielding the rotor and stator assembly, the depth of said housing frame being at least equal to the diametrical dimensions of said plate sets when arranged out of interleaving relation, mounting and insulation means interposed between the sets of stator plates and between the same and the frame housing for insulating the stator plate sets one from the other and for mounting the same in the housing, and means for axially adjustingV the mounting means and the stator assembly as a unit in said frame.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 22nd day o't January A. D. 1927.

CHARLES HARDY.

late sets, a stator assembly 

